Portkey To My Heart
by HedwigBlack
Summary: For the Proposal Challenge. Charlie takes Katie on journey along memory lane ending in a proposal. Absurdly fluffy.


**This is really corny and over the top but I couldn't help myself. For the Proposal Challenge.**

Katie walked in to find her flat completely empty. Alicia must be at work. She set down her bag of groceries on the kitchen counter and noticed something on the table that hadn't been there before she'd left. On closer inspection she realized it was a single rose and a note with her name on it written in Charlie's familiar hand.

She smiled to herself then paused wondering what the occasion could be. It wasn't an anniversary or her birthday. Perhaps he had done it just because. One thing she loved about Charlie Weasley was that he did little things like this just because. He was a hopeless romantic. She unfolded the note.

_My love,_

_I'd like you to take a little journey with me. There are more roses on the way. But first take hold of this one. It's a Portkey to my heart._

_Charlie_

Katie struggled not to die laughing. He could be so corny sometimes. But for some reason she always played along and while she would never admit it to him, it was always worth it. She looked at the rose lying on the table. A Portkey? Really? _Here goes nothing_.

She took hold of the stem and felt the familiar pull behind her navel as she was transported to only Charlie knew where. Her feet finally hit solid ground and she closed her eyes for a moment until the world stopped spinning.

When she opened them she was amazed to find herself in the garden outside the Burrow. She looked toward the kitchen window, expecting to see a few Weasleys watching her from inside. Did Charlie expect her to go in? She then saw another rose and another note on the picnic table a few feet away. She looked around but he did not seem to be here either. She sat on the bench and opened the second note.

_This is where we met. Everyone else was watching the bride walk down the aisle, but I was more interested in a certain bridesmaid. I don't know what possessed me to ask you out. We'd only just met after all. But I'm glad you said yes. Even if it was just out of pity… Kidding. Or am I?_

Kate sat back and took in the familiar surroundings. She remembered standing not too far from here watching Angelina walk down the aisle. She hadn't even noticed Charlie until he asked her to dance at the reception. They hit it off immediately, but she had no idea that he had been watching her that whole time. She smiled at the last part of his note. She had said yes, but it was certainly not out of pity and he knew it. They'd talked for hours, mostly about Quidditch and their love of travelling. When the reception was over, neither of them wanted to leave.

Her hand hovered over the rose on the picnic table. She had a feeling she knew where her next destination was. She took hold of the stem and looked up in time to see Mrs. Weasley waving from the kitchen door before disappearing.

She landed and found her bearings. She was right. The Portkey had taken her to the Three Broomsticks. She went inside and looked around for Charlie or another rose. Most of the tables were empty and none of them had a rose on it. She didn't understand since she knew this is where he meant for her to end up. After all this was where…

"Katie, dear!"

Madam Rosmerta came out of the back room carrying a rose in a vase. Katie smiled and sat at the bar.

"Your man is very sweet, dear." Rosmerta placed the rose and note in front of her then went about her business.

_You already know why you're here. Our first date did not go as smoothly as I had wanted if you recall._

She did recall.

_I was hung over and you had a cold._

She had been hung over too she was just too embarrassed to admit it.

_But we had a good time anyway. Or at least I did. I tried to play it cool but we both know I wear my heart on my sleeve._

_We talked a lot about Romania and how you wanted to see it sometime. I talked about how much I wanted to see you play Quidditch._

In fact they had played Quidditch together the next day. He had played Seeker and while not quite as good as Harry Potter, Katie had to hand it to him, he was amazing. Katie realized she'd been sitting at the bar daydreaming and Rosmerta was smirking in the corner.

"You going to get out of here or what?" The barmaid nodded towards the rose.

"Did he tell you what he's up to?"

"He might have." Rosmerta winked and grabbed a glass for a customer. "You don't want to keep him waiting do you? Go on!"

Katie rolled her eyes and touched the rose on the counter. She hadn't considered what the next destination could be but she was shocked to find herself by a river. _In Romania_.

Charlie had taken her here for a weekend to show her where he worked most of the year. At the moment she was standing by a clump of trees facing a mountain behind which she knew a few dragons were kept. Taped to one of the nearby trees were a note and a rose. She quickly grabbed the note first.

_You didn't think I would skip this beautiful moment in our history did you? That's right. First kiss. I'd say there were fireworks but it might have been a dragon breathing sparks. Either way, I'll never forget it. You were intoxicating._

These notes were getting to be too much. Katie felt butterflies in her stomach. He still managed to undo her. How many more of these were there? She hoped he would be there at the end. It would be quite cruel if he wasn't.

She took in the amazing view for a moment before taking the rose in her hand. The next stop turned out to be in the middle of Diagon Alley. She looked around, hoping that perhaps this was the last destination and that Charlie would be meeting her here. But there was no Charlie. Instead George beckoned from outside Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. She sighed and entered the joke shop and followed George toward the back of the store where it wasn't so busy. He went behind a counter and pulled out a rose and a note. She reached for the note but George pulled away. "He's mad over you, you know."

Katie blushed.

"If he ends up in St. Mungo's I'll be sure to blame you. I'll tell them all he went head over heels and lost his marbles and it's all Katie Bell's fault."

Katie put her hands on her hips in mock offense. George grinned and handed the note and vase over. He left a parting kiss on her cheek and went back to his business, giving her some privacy.

She unfolded the note and read.

_Diagon Alley is a place where a person experiences many firsts. For us it was a first 'I love you'. You ought to know. You were the one who said it to me, remember?_

She must be grinning like a fool but she didn't care. Yes, she'd been the one to say I love you first. Why? Because he was taking too damn long, that's why. There were so many moments when she thought he was about to say it, but then chickened out at the last moment.

_I had wanted to say it so badly but I was afraid of how you'd react. But then you went and said it just like that in the middle of Diagon Alley. And that's one of the many reasons I love you, sweetheart. If you have something to say, you say it. No apologies or reservations. No regrets._

She sighed contentedly and played with the note in her hands. When she'd first said 'I love you' she truly had meant it. But at the time she had no idea what love was. That was two years ago, after all. She reread his words and shook her head in amazement. She knew now she could never love anybody more than she did Charlie.

She looked over her shoulder and caught George's eye and waved goodbye then took hold of the Portkey. When she opened her eyes she was quite surprised to find herself back in her living room. A note and a rose were on the coffee table. She sat on the couch and her heart pounded as she read the next note, unsure of what it would say.

_You have reached your final destination. I've brought you back here for a number of reasons but I'll name the most important ones._

_Firstly this was where we had our first fight. I know what you're thinking. Who really wants to remember a fight? But let's face it. Fights are going to happen and we're good at it. And if there's one thing I know for sure, it's that I never want to fight with anyone else. Because you won't let me let you win. And I love you for it._

He had better not let her win. It was during those times she was glad he had grown up with so many siblings and knew how to settle an argument without it getting out of hand. She was too competitive for her own good and he was a worthy adversary.

_This is also where we spent the day that I came home to tell you I wouldn't be working full time in Romania anymore. It was one of the best days of my life just hanging out with you and celebrating the fact that I wouldn't have to leave again the next day. I miss my old job, but my promotion is better and closer to home and to you. And we still get to go to Romania every couple of months. I like it best when you come with me._

At first she was worried about his decision to take a different position. He loved working in Romania. It was his dream. But the memories of that day came flooding back to her too and it almost brought a tear to her eye. She recalled the look in his eyes when he responded to her protests with four words. "You are my dream."

She flipped the note over to the back.

_And now for the most important reason why you are here._

_This is where it occurred to me: __I'm going to marry this girl someday._

Katie gaped at the page unbelievingly. Her hands trembled as she realized what Charlie was doing. She felt happy tears begin to form. She'd always made fun of girls who cried from joy like this. She squeezed her eyes shut to hold back the tears but it was no use because when she opened them, there was Charlie kneeling before her with a ring in his hand.

"So what do you say?" He reached forward a brushed a tear from her face. "Will you marry me?"

She was speechless and crying and all she could do was nod emphatically and throw her arms around his neck. She probably would have slapped him had she seen the smug look on his face. He had pulled off the perfect proposal and he had the girl of his dreams in his arms. All was right with the world.


End file.
